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Ninohe
is a small town/city located in far north of Iwate Prefecture with a population of about 30,000 people. It is a picturesque city, with a more-or-less developed core area along the Mabechi River, and less-developed farmland extending from it. It is defined by Route 4, the major non-expressway route from Tokyo to Aomori, and the two railroads running through the city. It is approximately 2 hours from Morioka, and one hour from Hachinohe, in Aomori prefecture. Transportation Getting in To/from the airport Ninohe is almost equidistant between Misawa Airport in Aomori, and Iwate-Hanamaki airport in Hanamaki. By train Ninohe is served by three train stations. Ninohe station, Tomai Station, and Kintaichi Onsen Station. Ninohe station is on both the Iwate-Ginza railway (IGR) line, as well as the Tohoku Shinkansen. Tohoku Shinkansen Ninohe is the second to last stop on the Tohoku Shinkansen, before Hachinohe. The train offers daily service to both Hachinohe and Tokyo. Ninohe is about 3 hours from Tokyo Station. Ninohe Station Shinaksen Timetable (In Japanese) While the shinkansen is convienent, it is rather expensive. Ninohe-Morioka (26 Minutes): 3,410円 Ninohe-Hachinohe (11 Minutes): 2,870円 Ninohe-Tokyo (179 Minutes on the fastest train): 15,000円 It is possible, and indeed reccommended, for the shorter routes to purchase tickets for 'Standing Only', for slightly cheaper fares. For instance, the cost of Ninohe-Morioka becomes 2,900円 Iwate-Ginza Railroad The IGR is the local train line running from Hachinohe to Morioka. It is operated independantly from JR, and charges higher prices for local service. Ninohe-Hachinohe (40 minutes): 2,870円 Ninohe-Morioka (68 Minutes): 2,030円 By bus Ninohe have local bus services, run by Iwate Kenpoku Bus, and JR Bus Tohoku. Ninohe station is the primary terminus for buses in the area. Iwate-Kenpoku runs a service from Ninohe station to Kunohe. JR Bus Tohoku serves Karumai, Joboji, Kintaichi Onsen, and the Kamitomai area. ALT's living in Ninohe often use JR buses to get to work in distant schools. By car The closest interchange to Ninohe is the Ichinohe I.C., on the Hachinohe Expressway. Getting around Working JET placements At the time of writing, there are two Prefectural ALT placements and one Municipal placement in Ninohe-City. There is also one ALT dispatched by Interac on contract with the municipal government. Prefectural ALT's Ninohe has two ALT's in the employ of the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education. One ALT is responsible for Fukuoka Senior High School, and also Ibonai High School in Kunohe-village. Fukuoka is widely considered to be at a high standard of academic quality for Northern Iwate, though not at the same level as the Morioka area high schools. Fukuoka is also renowned for it's strong baseball and kendo programs. The second Ninohe prefectural ALT is responsible for Fukuoka Technical High Schoolhttp://www2.iwate-ed.jp/fut-h/, and Fukuoka High School- Joboji branchhttp://www2.iwate-ed.jp/job-h/. Municipal ALT's Ninohe City, in the past, was served by 3 seperate ALT's. Two working for the city, and one provided by the prefectural government. The current situation, has only two ALT's teaching at all 15 Ninohe schools. Each of the two ALT's is given three of Ninohe's 6 Junior High schools. The current ALT dispatch schedule for Ninohe: Municipal JET ALT Fukuoka Jr. High--''The biggest school in the district, with a wide range of student levels'' Kamitomai Jr. High-- Nisatai Jr. High--'' With approx. 50 students, with a good level of English'' Fukuoka Primary School-- Around 200 students. A brand-new Elementary with a strong interest in Elementary English activities Nisatai Primary School-- 120 Students, A relatively new facility Chuo Primary School-- '' 200 Students. Not as keen on their English, but by no means bad. '' Shimotomai Primary School-- '' 13-15 Students. ALT's are only dispatched to this school twice perm term. Activites are often centered on games and "Internationalization"'' Interac Dispatch ALT Joboji Jr. High Gohenchi Jr. High Kintaichi Jr. High--'' The Northermost school in Ninohe, with approximately 150 students. Kintaichi develops a strong relationship with their ALT.'' Joboji Primary School Gohenchi Primary School Kintaichi Primary School--'' Also in North Ninohe. 150 Students. Kintaichi Primary has an in-house English curriculum that is quite good. Also good at including their ALT in the school.'' Ishikiridokoro Primary School Ninohe-Nishi Primary School Incoming/Outgoing JETs All 4 Ninohe-City ALT'S are not recontracting for the 2008-2009 School year. The Interac Dispatch ALT cycles over the Spring Holiday, while the JET ALTs cycle over the summer holiday. Foreign community There is no foreign community in Ninohe. Typcally, ALT's in this town meet with other ALT's from the northern Iwate area. While the community of ALT's is quite strong and supportive, Ninohe is not especially "international." However, by no means is Ninohe unwelcoming to the few foreigners who live here. ALT's are quite often recognized as teachers and accorded a great deal of respect. Hachinohe and Morioka are common weekend/getaway destinations. Sightseeing Places to visit Festivals Shopping Supermarkets Department stores There is not a proper "Department Store" in Ninohe. The closest approximation is Nicoa, which is connected to the JOIS. It could be compared to an American Wal-Mart or a Tesco Extra. Though, the quality of goods sold there is questionable, and sizes for foreigners are most definitely not a priority. Convenience stores Home & Garden stores Book shops There are no stores that sell foreign books in Ninohe. Nicoa has a small section of manga for sale, as does Aixs. The closest foreign book store is in Morioka. Others Eating Ninohe is an excellent city for eating out. While some western food is hard to get, all in all: Ninohe is a great place to grab dinner and lunch. Fast food Ninohe does not have any western Fast Food restaurants. Japanese food Foreign food There is not a real, "foreign food" restaurant in Ninohe. Many of the izakayas, or the aforementioned restaurants have western dishes on their menus, however a restaurant devoted solely to foreign food doesn't exist. The closest indian and thai restaurants are in Hachinohe, while other types of foreign food are in Morioka. Drinking Izakayas Bars Living Banks Post offices Medical facilities Libraries Hair dressers Sports facilities Travel agents The closest travel agents to Ninohe are in Morioka or Hachinohe. Occassionally, representitives of those agencies will come to the schools. Map 40.27743, 141.308899, Ninohe City External links *Ninohe City Homepage (English) *Ninohe City Homepage (Japanese) Category:XXXXXX Prefecture Category:Articles using Google maps